One of our top goals when working with clients is helping them find a happy balance to enjoy their guilty pleasures without having the guilt afterwards.
Clients can have their cake and eat it too by creating structure around their indulgences.
Our head of nutrition, Erin Parekh said it best when on vacation:
“Embracing every morsel of my crispy fries and red wine brought great joy, but the truth is, I never fully went “off plan”. This made it easy to get back on track after vacation and still feel great after having my indulgences”.
Here are SWW’s tips on how to enjoy your indulgences and still stick to your meal plan to keep you on track.
1. EXTEND YOUR FAST
An average fast is 12 hours from the time you stop eating for the day until the next morning. Extend your fast for two hours longer on the days you treat
yourself. This allows your body to cleanse, remove toxins and reduce inflammation.
2. PLAN YOUR WORKOUTS
Workout the morning of and the morning after you plan to indulge. Go ahead and schedule those non-refundable classes if that's the motivation you need.
3. HYDRATE
Make sure you've had five liters of water earlier in the day AND put one liter by your bed so it's there when you wake up in the morning.
4. OPTIMIZE FAT BURNING FOODS
Eat only proteins, fats + vegetables all day leading up to your treats. Once insulin is present in the bloodstream fat burning shuts down. During your indulgence you will most likely shut it down with fun things like sugar!
5. 4PM MINI MEAL
When indulging at dinnertime, have a 4pm mini meal that includes fat + protein to fill you up so you don’t arrive to dinner feeling hungry, causing you to overeat. A green protein filled smoothie is a great option and helps to alkalize the body.
6. TAKE A DIGESTIVE ENZYME
Pair your meal with a digestive enzyme to help break things down and get it moving. If you are choosing to have red meat for dinner you may have two enzymes.
7. CHOOSE ONE
As a treat, choose only one for the day. This can be bread, alcohol, or dessert. Don’t allow yourself to get trapped in the f*** spiral as we like to call it where you are constantly craving sugar.
8. WALK IT OFF
Shortly after you’ve had your treat, go for a walk. It can be as short as 15 minutes. This will allow your body to get your metabolism moving and avoid a blood sugar spike.
9. STOCK YOUR FRIDGE
Shop and prep your food in advance so after you’ve had your indulgence; you have easy access to nourishing foods to enjoy. This will also avoid the f*** spiral we discussed above.
10. DON'T STRESS
Enjoy your indulgence and get back on the saddle the next day. Choose the treat and be empowered around your choices. Never beat yourself up after making a decision. Focus on your eating plan ahead.
